Aesthetic and Symbolic Analysis in Modern Painting and Architecture in Baghdad

Section: Article
Issue
Vol. 2 No. 3 (2025): Volume 2 Issue 3
Pages
151-165

Keywords:

Modern architecture, visual symbolism, aesthetics, Baghdad

Abstract

This research explores the dialectical relationship between modern painting and state architecture in Iraq from an aesthetic and symbolic perspective. It provides a descriptive and analytical study of four selected architectural samples in Baghdad- the National Theatre, and the Martyr’s Monument. The study aims to examine the symbolic and compositional indicators embedded within these buildings and assess their effectiveness in conveying aesthetic values amid Iraq’s shifting political and cultural contexts. Using structured criteria—including form, function, visual reception, and implicit messages—the analysis reveals varying degrees of symbolic expression. While some buildings successfully reflect aesthetic and symbolic openness, others demonstrate a lack of interaction with the public. The study concludes with a call to re-evaluate the use of architectural symbolism as a tool for collective memory and visual identity in state architecture.

References

  1. Abdul-Amir, K. H. (2014). The evolution of modern art in Iraq (2nd ed.). Dar Al- Kutub, Baghdad, Iraq.
  2. Abdulhadi, A. (1993). The Arab mentality: A linguistic perspective. Arab Studies, (3/4), 13.
  3. Al-Fayrouzabadi. (2008). Al-Qamus Al-Muhit (Vol. 1).
  4. Al-Haidari, H. K. (2010). Al-Tajreed wa al-Turath fi Fan Shaakir Hassan Al-Said (1st ed.). Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon.
  5. Al-Hashimi, A. N. (2017). Modern Iraqi art: Symbols and trends (1st ed.). Ministry of Culture Publications, Baghdad, Iraq.
  6. Anderson, D. P. (2015). Architecture and disruption: Postmodern tendencies in urban space (1st ed.). Routledge, London, UK.
  7. Arnheim, R. (1974). Art and visual perception: A psychology of the creative eye (2nd ed.). University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, USA.
  8. Balle, F. P. (2011). Surrealism: Origins and influence (3rd ed.). Gallimard, Paris, France.
  9. Beardsley, M. C. (1981). Aesthetics: Problems in the philosophy of criticism (2nd ed.). Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
  10. Ching, F. D. K. (2007). Architecture: Form, space, and order (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, USA.
  11. Cohen, J. D. (2013). Digital aesthetics and modern form. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA.
  12. Darwish, A. F. (2020). Fann al-Rasam al-Iraqi al-Mu’asir ba‘d 2003 (1st ed.). Al-Mada Foundation, Baghdad, Iraq.
  13. Fokkema, D. W., & Kunne-Ibsch, E. (2000). Modernist conjectures: A mainstream in European literature, 1910–1940. John Benjamins Publishing, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  14. Gombrich, E. H. J. (1995). The story of art (16th ed.). Phaidon Press, London, UK.
  15. Gordon, S. L. (2002). Expressionism in art and philosophy (1st ed.). Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, USA.
  16. Greenberg, C. (1986). Modernist painting (Rev. ed.). University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, USA.
  17. Hammoudi, S. Q. (2020). Madrasat al-Fann al-Tashkili al-‘Iraqi (2nd ed.). Dar Al-Furat, Baghdad, Iraq.
  18. Harris, J. M. (2006). Art history: The key concepts (1st ed.). Routledge, London, UK.
  19. Hobbes, T. E. (1992). Art and mechanism in contemporary aesthetics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
  20. Ibn Manzur. (1988). Lisan al-Arab (Vol. 1). Dar al-Jabal, Beirut, Lebanon.
  21. Jennings, R. M. (2016). Postmodern painting and contemporary culture (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan, New York, NY, USA.
  22. Kandinsky, W. (1921). Concerning the spiritual in art. Dover Publications, New York, NY, USA.
  23. Marini, U. G. (2009). Futurism and the Italian avant-garde (1st ed.). Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany.
  24. Mark, H. E. (2012). Symbolism and surrealism: European art in the 20th century (1st ed.). HarperCollins, London, UK.
  25. Nasr, Z. S. (2019). Tathir al-Taqniyat al-Raqmiya fi al-Fan wa al-‘Imara (1st ed.). Al-Mu’assasa al-‘Ilmiyya, Baghdad, Iraq.
  26. Picasso, P. (1950). Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and the rise of cubism. Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, France.
  27. Richardson, J. H. (1996). Cubism and the modern eye (1st ed.). Thames & Hudson, London, UK.
  28. Schaeffer, J.-M. (1999). Art of the avant-garde (1st ed.). Gallimard, Paris, France.

Authors

Sirwan Shakir Rashed

College of Fine Arts, University of Duhok, Duhok, Iraq

Hamid Ibrahim Imhedi

Identifiers

DOI: 10.33899/frj.v2i3.61731

Statistics

How to Cite

Aesthetic and Symbolic Analysis in Modern Painting and Architecture in Baghdad . (2025). Fnon Al-Rafidayn Journal, 2(3), 151-165. https://doi.org/10.33899/frj.v2i3.61731
Copyright and Licensing
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Aesthetic and Symbolic Analysis in Modern Painting and Architecture in Baghdad . (2025). Fnon Al-Rafidayn Journal, 2(3), 151-165. https://doi.org/10.33899/frj.v2i3.61731